


For You (My Love)

by xingnini



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Historical, M/M, Romance, Royalty, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 10:57:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12167469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xingnini/pseuds/xingnini
Summary: While Jongin is trapped in time, he meets a Joseon prince who is stuck in silence.





	For You (My Love)

**Author's Note:**

> I claimed this without thinking and then got inspired by Moon Lovers even though it’s a completely different time period from the Joseon era, so RIP historical accuracies!!!

Jongin stood in the middle of the trenches, as men in camouflage uniforms with weapons in their arms rushed past him. He could hear wails of pain and agony coming from all directions, and they were only covered up by sounds of gunfire or blasts from bombs going off in the distance. Despite his completely different outfit, no one seemed to notice him because everyone was so focused on fighting. 

 

This was too much for him. He wasn’t expecting to be affected by war this much. Being in the midst of it made it a lot more real for him than just simply reading about it from his textbook. He didn’t want to stay here for too much longer.

 

He took one more look at the bloodied field and at the soldiers fighting for their lives and for their country, and then closed his eyes.

 

_ ‘It’s time to go back, it’s time to go back…’ _

 

And he opened his eyes. 

 

The blasts and the shooting was replaced with the sound of a high pitch whistling. Instead of barbed wire and earth, a kitchen counter was in front of him. 

 

“What happened? You time traveled again? Just now?” 

 

“Oh?” a dazed Jongin replied, “Yeah…” 

 

He was back in his apartment — even though the tea kettle in front of him was steaming and screaming to be relieved from the heat, Jongin didn’t seem to be too bothered. One second, he was seeing the Korean War firsthand, the next, he was back in 2017. 

 

“Jongin, the tea,” his flatmate Jongdae reminded him. The younger snapped out of it and hurried to turn off the stove while Jongdae tutted and shook his head. “Why would you go back in the middle of making tea?” 

 

Jongin pouted and answered, “I was just thinking about my research paper. It wasn’t even intentional, and I actually got lucky with landing in the right era this time.” He grabbed the handle of the kettle and poured out the tea into a mug for his flatmate. Carefully handling it, Jongin brought it over to where Jongdae was waiting on the couch. 

 

“I don’t know if I have the right to say this,” Jongdae started, taking his mug from Jongin, ”but I think you should lay off a little on the time traveling.” 

 

“Huh? Why?” Jongin asked, surprised. 

 

“Each time you come back, you seem a little bit more lost. You might start losing your sense of time,” Jongdae warned. “You could get stuck in the Jurassic era and end up actually believing you belong there.” 

 

Jongin laughed because he imagined himself running alongside dinosaurs. 

 

“I’m not joking!” 

 

“It’s fine, hyung! That won’t ever happen,” Jongin reassured him.

 

Jongin opened his book on the Korean War and began to focus on the research paper he needed to write for his history class. After experiencing it firsthand, he definitely had to read the book with different eyes. 

 

Jongdae could only sip his tea and look on worriedly as his warning seemed to go straight over his flatmate's head. 

  
  
  


Kim Jongin time traveled  _ a lot _ . 

 

It was almost like a game to him, because each time he went back to the past, he didn’t know which era he’d land in. He liked the trial and error aspect of it all. 

 

He also found out that whenever he went back to a time where he existed, he took the place of the him in the past, so there were never two Jongins in the span of the same time — luckily, he’s never traveled back to a time where he was younger than his current age. He’s not really sure what he’d do if that were to ever happen. 

 

He usually found himself traveling back to only a week before, where he could do some things differently such as finding the opportunity to do better on his history exam; but there were also times where he’d find himself having traveled back through  _ centuries _ . He once found himself in the Silla dynasty, which was a big mistake, because he almost got killed for the ‘strange’ clothing he was wearing. 

 

No one knew about his ability except his longtime friend Kim Jongdae. 

 

At first, Jongdae was skeptical about the whole thing, because Jongin never disappeared. Whenever he time-traveled, it was in the span of less than a second. Jongin could spend years in the Iron Age, and never miss anything in the present. The more stories Jongin told from his travels, the more Jongdae started to believe his friend. 

 

Even though it seemed as if time didn’t pass in the present, Jongin never tried to spend more than a day in the past. 

 

He thought it was too risky and he was happy with his life in the contemporary era, so he never found himself staying more than a few hours in a different period. Well, he was happy with his life  _ most of the time _ , specifically when Jongdae wasn’t bossing him around so much.

 

“Ah, it’s cold!” Jongdae yelled out when he came through the apartment building’s entrance. “I told you to have the key ready, so that you wouldn’t have to search for it while you’re already at the door!!” he whined at Jongin.

 

“Hyung, why don’t you help carry some of the groceries, or maybe bring your key next time, too,” the younger retaliated, coming in through the door right behind his best friend. “I have too much to carry right now.” 

 

“As the younger one of the two of us, you have to take on more responsibilities,” Jongdae answered smugly. “Don’t forget that you also have to get our equipment from the storage downstairs,” he continued on, ignoring Jongin’s struggle to bring all the grocery bags into the elevator. 

 

“Are you sure you still want to go on this skiing trip? You were literally  _ just _ complaining about how cold it is. Less than three minutes ago.” 

 

“We’re on winter break!” Jongdae exclaimed. “Of course we have to go on a ski trip!” 

 

They eventually made it to their apartment, where Jongin was finally able to set everything down with relief.

 

“Pft, they weren’t even that heavy,” Jongdae scoffed. 

 

“You try carrying eight bags in each hand, and let’s see how you feel after that!” Jongin burst out. 

 

“Okay, I got it, I got it,” Jongdae said, faking sympathy and understanding. “I have to get ready and leave for work, so take care of everything, okay?” Without waiting for an answer, he went into his room and closed the door. 

 

Jongin was left to grumble to himself about how his hyung always bossed him around, whether it be about house chores or about time traveling. 

 

“I’ll just travel back to the time before Jongdae’s parents got together and tell them to get married two years later instead,” Jongin muttered to himself. “Then he’ll get to see how it feels like to be treated as the younger one.” 

 

After Jongdae left for work, Jongin made his way down to the basement, which was a divided space for tenants to put their things into storage. Jongin unlocked the gate of the fence that separated his and Jongdae’s space from the other tenants’ and began searching for their skiing and snowboarding equipment. 

 

“Ugh, it’s all the way on the top shelf,” he groaned when he spotted them. “Why would he put something as heavy as these at the top…” He went to look for a ladder, and when he found one that was old and rusty, placed it against the shelves. It wasn’t very stable, but he didn’t think too much of it. 

 

Step by step, he climbed up the shaky ladder to get closer to the top shelf. When he was finally able to reach, he grabbed his snowboard and threw it to the ground as gently as possible. Then he got his hands on Jongdae’s skis, but they got tangled up with the other stuff on the shelf. Using most of his weight to pull it out from underneath the rest of the junk, he lost his footing on the ladder. 

 

“Woaah, woah!” 

 

When he fell to the ground, he felt something painfully sharp pierce the back of his head before he instantly blacked out. 

  
  
  


When he finally gained consciousness, he found himself staring at the cloud-studded blue sky from underneath a tree. He hasn’t remembered the last time since he just gazed at the sky like this, since he was always too busy and occupied to appreciate small things like this. 

 

_ ‘Did I… die?’ _

 

His body was splayed out on the ground, and next to him were a couple of apples, probably from the tree above him… He also began to realize he was wearing soft and silky purple robes… 

 

_ Wait, robes? _ Those weren’t his normal clothes… 

 

Jongin immediately sat up, which was a mistake; as soon as he did, there was a huge pounding near the top of his head. This headache felt excruciating, and when Jongin reached to touch the back of his head, he gasped when he found out there was a huge bump beneath hair that was longer than he last remembered it being.

 

“Jongin, what are you doing there?!” a voice from afar hissed at him. He was too disoriented to tell what the voice was talking about, so as two men in traditional robes came running towards him, he had no idea what to do.

 

“Who… who are you?” Jongin managed to pant out. 

 

“What do you mean, ‘who are we?’ The prince is coming to this court in about five minutes! There’s no time to joke around and you shouldn’t be here when he arrives!” one of the men cried out as they each grabbed one of Jongin’s arms. 

 

They effectively pulled him up to a standing position and began dragging him away from the spot he was just lying on a few minutes ago. As he was hauled away, Jongin was too dumbfounded to notice a young man dressed in a rich deep red hanbok, watching silently as the three men made their escape from the courtyard.

 

Jongin wanted to regain his footing, but his head hurt too much that he let the two strangers lug him to wherever they wanted. They rounded past a few buildings and crossed another courtyard before they stepped into one of the quarters. As soon as they barged in, a man also dressed in traditional clothing looked up from the writing he was working on at his desk. 

 

“Scholar Kim, we found Jongin lurking in the prince’s court again,” the taller of the two reported to him.

 

“We brought him out just in time before the prince could catch him,” the other one said proudly. They brought him over to the seat in front of the desk and made him sit down. 

 

The man at the desk, “Scholar Kim” Jongin guessed, nodded his head once. “Okay, you can let go of him.” 

 

The hold on his arms loosened, and Jongin was free from their grasps. He still had no idea what was going on, where he was, who these people were, and how and why he was dressed in a traditional hanbok. Too many questions were running around in his mind, which didn’t do his headache any good. 

 

“Who are you people?” Jongin asked for a second time. 

 

“There he goes again,” the shorter one said, obviously vexed. “I know you don’t usually joke around, but now is probably not the time to try and be funny.” 

 

“Wait, Baekhyun, he doesn’t look like he’s joking,” Scholar Kim said seriously. “Jongin, what’s my name?” 

 

“I don’t know who you are,” Jongin insisted. “I don’t know who any of you are! I don’t think I’m supposed to know anyone from this time period — this really has never happened before.” 

 

“Jongin, what are you going on about?” the scholar asked, confusion visible on his facial features. He suddenly turned to his two captors. “What did you guys do to him?” 

 

“We didn’t do anything!” Baekhyun fervently defended his friend and himself. “We found him on the ground underneath the apple tree. Either he got hit in the head with an apple that fell on him or he slipped on a stray one.” 

 

“Or maybe he climbed the tree and fell,” the tall one piped in.

 

“No, Jongin climbing trees? That doesn’t sound like something he would do. Think a little, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun argued, smacking his friend upside the head.

 

The scholar pursed his lips, then dismissed the two men. When they left, he then turned to Jongin and looked him straight in the eye. “Okay, what’s wrong? You can’t remember anything?” 

 

“Um, I don’t think I forgot anything,” Jongin admitted, telling the truth. “Yesterday for dinner, I ate—” He stopped in his tracks when he realized he should be careful with what he says. 

 

He remembered that time in the Silla dynasty when no one knew who he was and they started chasing him to kill him… except, here, they  _ do _ know who he is somehow… so if he said one wrong thing, he could end up being killed, too.

 

“Actually, I can’t remember…” he finally answered.

 

“Okay, what  _ do _ you remember?” 

 

“I remember… my name is Jongin?” he answered unsurely, slightly recalling that it was what one of the two guys called him earlier. 

 

“Okay, that’s good. Do you remember who I am?” 

 

Jongin took a good, long look at the scholar to see if he was anyone he recognized from the present. Racking his head for any names that could match his face, Jongin gave up when he couldn’t think of any. He shook his head as an answer. 

 

The scholar leaned back in his chair, disappointment and worry evident on his face. “Okay, it’s alright. You must have hit your head pretty hard. I’m your cousin, Joonmyun — does that ring a bell?” 

 

Jongin pretended to be oblivious and shook his head. He’s never heard of that name in his entire life. “Um, can I ask where we are?” 

 

“We’re at our residence in Hanseong.”  

 

_ ‘Hanseong? Wasn’t that the capital of…  _ Joseon?! _ ’ _ Jongin thought. He frantically looked around the room for some reassurance, only seeing scrolls of characters he didn’t recognize and patterns that weren’t really seen in the present anymore.  _ ‘So I did time travel… but it’s still strange how everyone knows my name…’  _

 

“You know… within the palace walls,” Joonmyun added since the younger wasn’t responding.

 

“ _ The palace?! _ ” Jongin exclaimed, mouth gaping wide in shock. “We’re inside the palace? What am I doing here?”

 

Joonmyun gave off an uneasy smile before getting up and walking over to him. He patted Jongin on the shoulder and carefully urged him to stand up. “I think you should lay down and rest a little. I’ll try to see if I can get a physician to take a look at you.” 

 

As Jongin was being led by Joonmyun through the house, he couldn’t help but think how strange this whole situation was. Usually when he time traveled back a few centuries like this, no one knew who he was and he stayed in the clothes that he was wearing in the present. How did these people know his name and why was this guy saying that they’re cousins? Where did these traditional clothes come from?

 

“This isn’t a prank, right? Jongdae didn’t set you up to this?” Jongin blurted out.

 

“Kim Jongdae? What business do you have with the Royal Astronomer?” 

 

“Royal… Royal Astronomer? Jongdae?” Jongin asked incredulously.

 

“Jongin, what’s going on?” Joonmyun asked, more distressed than ever. “You’re acting really strange; I’ve never seen you like this before. I think you need a lot of rest, you’ve probably been really stressed out lately.” 

 

“Stressed out? From what?” Jongin asked as Joonmyun finally reached a screened double door.

 

“We’ll worry about it later,” Joonmyun briskly said and nudged Jongin inside the room. “For now, get some rest,” he ordered, shutting him alone inside. 

  
  
  


_ ‘I gotta get out of here,’ _ Jongin thought.  _ ‘It’s too strange here.’ _

 

While the Joonmyun scholar guy thought he was sleeping, the time traveler thought that it'd be the best time to go back to the present. He didn't know what would happen to him if he spent any longer here.

 

Jongin closed his eyes and echoed in his head,  _ “It's time to go back, it’s time to go back.” _

 

When he opened his eyes, he didn't expect to still see the unfamiliar screen door of the scholar’s bedroom.

 

“Oh? It's not working? Why am I still here?” Jongin asked aloud in surprise. Usually, he was able to return in no time or effort at all.

 

He attempted about five more times, but no matter how hard he tried, he was still stuck in Joseon.

 

_ ‘Why can’t I leave?’ _ Jongin asked, internally panicking.  _ ‘It usually works like this? What’s going on?’ _

 

He desperately thought again and again about returning to his messy apartment, where his best friend Jongdae was probably waiting for him, where he had a Korean War research paper to work on, where he had a life  _ where he belonged…  _ but nothing worked. 

 

_ ‘Maybe… maybe I can’t do this right now because I hit my head too hard? I do still have a headache… Maybe the scholar was right — I should rest a little. I’ll try again later.’  _

  
  
  


When Jongin woke up, it was already the next morning. He scrambled to stand up on the unfamiliar bedding and  _ immediately _ thought of time traveling to the present. 

 

Once again, Jongin tightly squeezed his eyes shut and chanted in his head,  _ “It's time to go back, it’s time to go back.” _

 

Afraid of the outcome, he slowly opened one of his eyes only to still see that stupid screen door. 

 

“What’s happening? Why can’t I go back anymore?” he asked himself exasperatedly. “This cannot seriously be happening to me — there’s no way I can be stuck in Joseon right now. This… this must be a long nightmare. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…” 

 

Jongin felt  _ so lost _ , and he hasn’t felt this lost since he took that advanced placement physics class in high school. His headache was a little better, but he could still feel the huge bump on his head. At least he could think a little bit more properly… 

 

_ ‘Maybe I have to be in the same spot where I first woke up… I have to at least try that…’  _

 

Without making his bed or cleaning the room, Jongin rushed out to find the courtyard with the apple tree only to be stopped in the common area when he saw Joonmyun sitting at a table with another man. 

 

“Oh, Jongin, you’re up!” Joonmyun exclaimed, getting up. “Where are you going in such a rush?” 

 

“I… I wanted some fresh air,” Jongin lied. 

 

“Okay, well the royal physician is here to take a look at you,” Joonmyun told him. “Going outside can wait, right? I just want to make sure you're okay.”

 

Jongin reluctantly nodded and sat down in the seat that was facing the physician. The man felt around Jongin’s head, resting his hand on the huge bump. Then he looked closely into his eyes, requested him to move a couple of limbs, then proceeded to ask a couple of questions while wrapping a strip of cloth around his head.

 

“How did you get that bump on your head?” 

 

“I don’t remember,” Jongin answered. 

 

“You don’t remember anything before that?” 

 

“No…” 

 

The royal physician turned to Joonmyun and said, “It seems like he has amnesia from a traumatic blow to his head. He seems to be physically fine, but his memories…” 

 

“Can you do something about it?” Joonmyun asked, worriedly. 

 

“Not really, but what  _ you _ can do is let him take it easy and try to remind him about things that can jog up his memory. Just don’t stress him out,” the royal physician said, starting to get up. 

 

“Thank you so much,” Joonmyun gratefully bowed. “Jongin, say thank you.” 

 

The younger bowed and did as he was told, and Joonmyun proceeded to walk out of the residence with the physician, offering to take him back to his quarters.

 

Jongin saw this as a chance to rush over to the courtyard. 

 

As Joonmyun disappeared around the corner of a house, Jongin stealthily darted the opposite way. He tried to remember where that Baekhyun guy and the other tall guy dragged him from the day before. 

 

When Jongin rounded about another house, he came across a couple of maidens, all dressed in white. They seemed to be workers because they were gathered around a huge tub that was full of clothes and soap suds. 

 

“Excuse me,” Jongin spoke in a hushed voice. “Can you tell me where the courtyard is? The one with an apple tree?” 

 

Some of them giggled while others pointed towards a single direction. Jongin thanked them and bowed, hurrying again towards the spot they gestured towards.

 

He was finally able to find the exact spot where he woke up in Joseon; he went and stood on the ground directly underneath the apple tree and looked up from under it. 

 

_ ‘The bump is on the  _ back _ of my head, so it’s possible that I either slipped on an apple or climbed the tree and fell… or maybe someone even threw an apple at my head from behind…’  _

 

Jongin picked up a stray apple on the ground and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes and flinching, he suddenly struck the bump on his head with the apple. 

 

“Ah! Ah…!” Jongin cried out in pain, regretting his actions when he saw that he still didn’t transport back to the present. He frantically rubbed the back of his head to try to dissipate the pain and pouted, really not knowing what to do anymore.

 

_ ‘Maybe I didn’t hit hard enough… but that was already so painful…’  _ he whimpered in his head. 

 

He looked up and saw in the corner, a young man wearing a blue  _ hanbok _ and a  _ heukrip _ , sitting down on stone ledge and watching him with wide eyes and thick furrowed brows. Jongin was a little embarrassed that the stranger was just looking on at whatever stupid-looking thing he was doing, but then an idea popped into his head. 

 

“Hey, you!! Come here,” Jongin called out to the young man, waving him over. 

 

The stranger’s eyes widened as he pointed to himself with a questioning look on his face. 

 

“Yes, yes, you,” Jongin nodded. “Come, please.” 

 

The young man stood up and walked over cautiously, unsure of why Jongin was suddenly speaking to him. 

 

“Okay, please don’t be alarmed, but I need you to hit me in the back of my head with this apple,” Jongin asked of him, holding up the apple to show him. “Also, don’t be frightened if my body disappears after you hit me.” 

 

The young man looked curiously at the apple, then at the headwrap around Jongin’s head. 

 

“Yeah, it’s fine, don’t worry about that. I just  _ really _ need you to do this for me,” Jongin said, placing the apple in his hands. “You have to hit  _ really really _ hard, okay?” 

 

The stranger ended up looking intimidated and backed away, still holding the apple. 

 

“No, no, no, please, don’t be scared,” Jongin pleaded. “You’re not gonna hurt me, you’re going to be helping me, I swear!” 

 

The young man vigorously shook his head and continued to step back. Desperate, Jongin got a hold of his forearm and stuck out his head towards him. “Please hit me!! I need to get out of here!! Just hit it hard, and I promise I won’t bother you anymore!! I’ll leave you alone!!” 

 

The stranger resisted against Jongin’s hold and tried to yank him off, but Jongin kept yelling and begging, invading the other man’s space with the back of his head. 

 

_ “Kim Jongin, what is this indecency?!” _ Jongin heard a voice bark — he turned and saw his scholar cousin running over. Joonmyun began prying Jongin’s fingers off the young man as he yelled, “Have you really forgotten your manners along with your memory?!” 

 

When Joonmyun was able to completely get ahold of Jongin, he wrenched him off the stranger. Jongin started crying out when Joonmyun grabbed him by the ear.

 

“My apologies, your Highness,” Joonmyun expressed regretfully, with a slight bow of his head. “Jongin hasn’t been in his right mind lately, but I’ll make sure this never happens again.” 

 

The young man just continued staring silently and wide-eyed as the scholar finally dragged his cousin away and out of the courtyard. 

  
  
  


“That was the  _ prince? _ ” Jongin repeated. 

 

“Yes!! You were harassing  _ the prince!!!” _ Joonmyun scolded him. 

 

“Well, why didn’t he say anything?!” 

 

“Oh, so you wanted the prince to tell you who he was?!” Joonmyun asked, incredulous. “You’re supposed to  _ know _ who he is!! What were you doing to him anyway?!” 

 

“Um, that’s a little hard to explain,” Jongin admitted sheepishly. “But he could have told me to stop…” 

 

“He was clearly resisting when I saw you two! He was pulling away, but you were holding onto him, yelling like a crazy man!” 

 

“But he should’ve used his words,” Jongin argued. 

 

“Jongin… you really…” Joonmyun breathed out in disbelief and annoyance. “Are you really talking back at me right now? Before, you would have just listened to me, accepted your wrongdoings, and apologized!” 

 

“I was that type of person before? Wahh, poor me,” the younger said, shaking his head in genuine disappointment. “Well, I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. If it was really wrong for me to do that to him, he would have said something to get me to stop.” 

 

“He couldn’t talk even if he wanted to!!” Joonmyun burst out. “The prince cannot talk to you!!” 

 

Jongin’s face twisted into one of disgust. “Because of difference in social status? It was really this bad? I didn’t know the royal family could be so arrogant… I’ve read about it in the textbook before, bu—” 

 

“He’s mute, Jongin!!!” the scholar cut in. “He’s mute, he can’t talk at all.” 

 

Jongin looked at his cousin with wide eyes, finally shutting up. 

 

“Oh,” he answered dumbly. 

 

“Yes, that’s why you need to  _ think _ before you do anything foolish,” Joonmyun chided. “You’re lucky the prince didn’t call for your punishment by now. I’m surprised you’re not getting flogged at this very moment.” 

 

Jongin winced and frowned. “Then the prince must be nice, right?” Joonmyun rolled his eyes and ignored that comment, but Jongin continued, “Was he born as a mute?” 

 

“No,” Joonmyun shook his head. “He stopped talking due to a traumatic experience.” 

 

“Traumatic experience?” Jongin repeated, feeling more and more guilty about harassing a defenseless person. “What happened to him?” 

 

Joonmyun took a deep breath and sighed. “This is only from what I’ve heard, but the prince stopped talking when he was eight years old. At that time, we were at war with another kingdom, do you at least remember that?” 

 

Jongin shrugged, choosing to ignore Joonmyun’s efforts to ‘jog up his memory’ and focus on the story instead. 

 

Joonmyun frowned, but then continued. “Well, the enemy was able to invade and the palace was under siege. Their soldiers flooded into the  _ Gyeongbokgung, _ searching for the royal family to kill or capture them. The prince and his mother were in hiding, when a soldier brutally kicked down their door. That surprised the little prince and caused him to yell out in panic, resulting in the enemy finding the Queen. Before our men could save them, the enemy slaughtered the prince’s mother right in front of him.” 

 

“That’s… terrible…” Jongin murmured. 

 

“Yes,” Joonmyun agreed. “Our men came in time to save only him. Once the enemy was chased out of the palace, a proper burial was able to be held for the Queen. It was said that once the prince finished crying, he never spoke a word again — probably because he felt that his mother’s death was ultimately his fault.” 

 

Jongin thought about the prince again and how he looked probably about the same age as him. “If that happened when he was eight years old, then he hasn’t spoken in so many years…” 

 

“Yeah… but Jongin,” the scholar said, looking suspiciously at his cousin. “You’ve never taken an interest in the prince being mute before. Why do you care so much about it now?” 

 

Jongin shrugged. “So even before I hit my head, I didn’t know about that whole story?”

 

Joonmyun shook his head. “You never cared. You just accepted it as it was. You never associated with the prince or spoke of him. It was as if he didn’t exist to you.” 

 

Jongin wasn’t liking the sound of who he was before he was transported into this body. The Jongin from before sounded like a cold busy-body, the complete opposite of himself. 

 

“I guess since it was his courtyard that I fell and lost my memory in, I’m suddenly curious about him.” Then, Jongin suddenly asked. “By the way, what’s the prince’s name?” 

 

“His name? His name is Kyungsoo.” 

  
  
  


That night, Jongin tossed and turned in his blankets. After hearing such a tragic story, he felt extremely guilty for bothering the prince and accusing him of being all haughty and mighty behind his back. No matter how much he wanted to leave this place and go back to the present, he had to talk to the prince. 

 

He needed to at least apologize. He owed him at least that much. 

 

After breakfast, Jongin took the apple that he was supposed to eat at the table, and slipped out of the house without Joonmyun noticing — since the older was a scholar who was busy with studying, that part was relatively easy to do. He was effortlessly able to find the courtyard this time, managing to remember his way around the palace grounds from the directions he was given by the maidens the day before. 

 

When Jongin reached the house that the courtyard was behind, he slowly approached it and peeked behind it to see if the prince was already there. 

 

Sitting at the same spot as last time, the prince was on the stone ledge with a wooden board on his lap. He seemed to be concentrating on something, and the more Jongin looked at him, the more he realized Kyungsoo was drawing on a piece of parchment.

 

Kyungsoo was so focused that he was practically burying his nose into the paper, only occasionally looking up to observe the scene he was sketching. One moment, he was looking at the stone arched entrance and another, he was looking at the young man who attacked him yesterday. 

 

“Hi,” Jongin shyly greeted him. 

 

Kyungsoo only blinked and stared at the younger with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. 

 

Maybe it was because he was too busy freaking out and trying to go back to the present the first time, but now, Jongin’s attention was solely on the prince. He was actually breathtakingly stunning that Jongin’s words were almost stuck in his throat.  

 

“I, uh… I’m just here to say that I’m sorry for yesterday… and thanks for not punishing me,” Jongin said, offering the apple he brought with two hands. “I swear this isn’t an apple from your tree; I brought it from my breakfast table.” 

 

Hesitantly, Kyungsoo took the apple and nodded his head once to acknowledge Jongin’s offer of apology. 

 

“Wait, so you forgive me?” Jongin’s expression brightened. “No hard feelings between us, right?” 

 

The prince nodded and Jongin could feel the smile on his own face widen. “By the way, I’m Kim Jongin — unless you already knew that. Actually, it was only yesterday that I found out that you’re a prince, so I  _ kind of _ know I shouldn’t be talking to you, but since I lost my memory, I forgot all the rules around here.” 

 

Kyungsoo only blinked at him again, and Jongin realized he was talking far too much. 

 

“I’m sorry, I’m rambling right now… Even though I’m probably not allowed to have a conversation with you, I just wanted to apologize and make sure you were alright. I didn’t know anything yesterday since my mind is kind of all jumbled up…” 

 

The prince pursed his lips before looking like he came up with a decision. He patted the spot next to him, offering Jongin to sit down. 

 

“Wait, really? I’m allowed to?” 

 

Kyungsoo nodded, so Jongin happily took a seat next to him. The prince gave the younger a small smile, then went back to sketching the stoned archway. Jongin wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do, so he only watched the prince as he drew.

 

Soon, Kyungsoo was already adding finishing touches to the tree blossoms that surrounded the arch, and Jongin still hasn't said a word since he sat down. He didn't want it to feel awkward between them, so he tried to start another conversation.

 

“Did you know me before?” 

 

Kyungsoo turned to him with a confused expression on his face.

 

“Ah, well, before I lost my memory. I’d say that was about two days ago.” 

 

The prince scrunched up his face and tilted his head as if to say,  _ ‘No, not really.’ _

 

Jongin smiled and said, “That’s alright, at least we know each other now. We can continue talking and become friends, right?” 

 

Kyungsoo looked thoughtfully at Jongin for a second, then proceeded to take out another piece of paper from underneath his drawing. 

 

Jongin watched as Kyungsoo’s brush stroked the paper to form Chinese characters. It seemed like he was writing it vertically, from right to left.

 

When he finished it, he held it up and looked at it, as if checking it over proudly, then handed it over to Jongin. 

 

The younger’s eyes widened while saying, “Wait, you're giving this to me? I don't know how to read this…”

 

Kyungsoo looked at him with a doubtful face, then insisted on giving him the writing, pushing the parchment towards him.

 

“I'm serious! Since I lost my memory, I forgot everything!” 

 

The prince still vehemently nudged the paper towards him. 

 

“Alright, alright,” the younger gave in, taking the paper into his own hands. “I'll ask my scholar cousin to translate it for me. Do you want me to study it?”

 

Kyungsoo nodded, a look of resolution on his face. He then stood up, pointed at the stone arch, then waved at Jongin.

 

Jongin pouted, “Aw, you have to go now?” When the prince nodded, Jongin also stood up and bowed. “I'll take my leave then, too.” 

 

Kyungsoo nodded and was about to leave when Jongin shouted out, “Wait!” 

 

The prince stopped and turned to look at Jongin with a curious expression. 

 

“You never answered my question about us being friends. I can come back here again, right? I can come back and see you?” Jongin asked, hopeful. He really had the urge to do this again with the prince — sit down with each other and bond in ways that didn’t require all verbal communication. 

 

Eyes shining like crescent moons and his mouth forming a heart-shaped smile, the prince nodded.

  
  
  


“Joonmyun hyung-nim!!” Jongin called out when he saw the scholar at his study table. The younger was brandishing the piece of parchment that the prince had just given him. 

 

“What is it, Jongin? Is something the matter?” Joonmyun stood up, worry lacing his voice. 

 

“No, no,” the younger assured him, then held up the paper. “Someone gave this to me and he wants me to study it. Can you please read what it says?” When the scholar agreed, Jongin showed him what was written on the paper.

 

曾

  


相

  


識

| 

相

  


逢

  


何

  


必

| 

淪

  


落

  


人

| 

同

  


是

  


天

  


涯  
  
---|---|---|---  
  
 

“Oh? It’s a poem,” Joonmyun let out, surprised. “Who gave this to you?” 

 

“Why, what does it say?” Jongin asked curiously. “I have no idea how to read those characters anymore. I must have forgotten when I hit my head.” 

 

Joonmyun looked at Jongin in despair — probably because it takes years of lessons to read Chinese hanja fluently, and Jongin managed to ‘forget’ it all — but the younger continued to prod his cousin to tell him the meaning of the poem. 

 

Joonmyun gave the poem a once over again and said, “Whoever gave it to you must want to be your friend even though you guys just met. The poem translates to:  _ Both of us being strangers here, both of us stranded, does it matter that we've just met, if our hearts understand?” _

 

Jongin smiled, happy to know that Kyungsoo had already answered his question. 

 

“Hey, why are you smiling look a fool right now?” Joonmyun teased, nudging him. “Did you get this from a pretty girl? Since she can write, she must be pretty intelligent, eh?” When Jongin shook his head, his cousin gave a look of confusion and pressed on, “Then who?” 

 

“Shhh,” Jongin shushed him. “It’s a secret.” 

 

Joonmyun frowned, but Jongin just took back the poem from his hands. “Thanks for telling me what is says, Joonmyun hyung.” 

 

“ _ Hyungnim _ ,” Joonmyun corrected him for the nth time since he arrived in Joseon. “Show some respect to your elders,” he continued to scold. Jongin pouted, wanting to say how he was probably the same age as Jongdae back at home and how that hyung didn’t force him to add the respectful suffix, but the scholar spoke up again. “Do you want to start your lessons again, or does your head still hurt?” 

 

“Lessons? What lessons did I take before?” 

 

“Lessons to become a bureaucratic official, of course,” Joonmyun answered. “But since you’ve forgotten everything, you probably need to learn at an accelerated pace. The exam is coming up soon, and I don’t think you should fall behind.”

 

Jongin looked a little hesitant, so Joonmyun spoke up. “Didn’t you say your friend wanted you to study this poem? Don’t you want to write back a reply?” 

 

He thought about the situation from that perspective, and suddenly became more excited about learning. Being able to read what Kyungsoo was writing suddenly made studying a hundred times more appealing. He could communicate more with the prince that way. 

 

“Okay, I can do it,” Jongin answered determinedly. “When can I start?” 

  
  
  


Jongin regretted everything. 

 

When Joonmyun said he was going to learn at an accelerated pace, he didn’t know he would be studying from sun up to sundown. The next day, Joonmyun  _ immediately _ got Jongin started on his lessons — he literally threw Jongin off his sheets and sat him down in front of a pile of books. The only breaks he got were to eat or pee. It had been like that for the past three days. 

 

He groaned as he hit his head on the table and left it resting there. 

 

_ ‘Didn’t the royal physician say not to stress me out? For a smart scholar, he sure doesn’t know how to follow simple instructions,’ _ Jongin thought about his cousin. 

 

He began to wonder how those scholars did it. All they did was  _ study, study, study _ . Jongin couldn’t last one more day like this, but they did this their whole lives. The only thing keeping him grounded was learning all these Chinese characters, so that he’d be able to read and understand Kyungsoo’s poem. 

 

Speaking of Kyungsoo… he hadn’t seen the prince for days. 

 

Back in the modern era, he had a cell phone and he’d be able to keep in contact with a new friend through texting without having to see them — but he was in Joseon now. There were no cellphones and he didn’t want to leave Kyungsoo hanging like this. He was taking the “absence makes the heart grow fonder” statement to a whole ‘nother level.

 

Jongin set aside the scrolls on the table in front of him and stood up defiantly, his mind already made up to see the prince. He was hoping that the prince would be in the courtyard, otherwise he’d be sneaking out of studying for nothing. 

 

The sky had already darkened since the sun had mostly set, so there was a voice in the back of his head saying that Kyungsoo would probably have gone inside by now. Still, he checked to see if the coast was clear, because there were guards walking around in the evening, and started to make his way towards the prince’s courtyard. 

 

Once he made it, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw Kyungsoo sitting on his usual spot on the stone ledge. Jongin bounced over to the prince and was even thinking about startling him, but he stopped when he saw how immersed he was in staring at the stars. 

 

Jongin found himself looking at Kyungsoo in awe — the prince had an aura about him that made him seem like a normal person, but at the same time it was a sad and lonely one. It made him want to stay by his side and see him smile; Jongin’s never really felt this way so quickly before, whether in the past or present, but when it came to the prince, he didn't really mind so much. Jongin was shaken out of his trance when Kyungsoo’s head turned towards him; he immediately directed his gaze towards the night sky. 

 

“Wow, I never noticed the stars shone so brightly,” Jongin said too loud, acting a bit obvious. He pretended to cough, while Kyungsoo covered his mouth with his hand to hold back a little laugh. 

 

“Is it okay, if I sit?” Jongin asked, and when the prince nodded, he took his seat on the stone ledge. “It’s pretty late and chilly now, so I’m surprised you’re still out here. I snuck out after my lessons, because I wanted to see you. We haven’t spoken in a couple of days.” 

 

Kyungsoo nodded again and smiled, and Jongin continued, "Would you like to know what I've been up to?"

 

When Kyungsoo eagerly nodded again Jongin smiled, happy to know that there was at least one person in this time period who would listen to him.

 

“So I brought that poem, from last time, back to my house; since my cousin is a scholar, I asked him to take a look at it. He translated it for me and then asked me if I’d like to start studying again — which I don’t get, because the physician said not to stress me out, but I said yes anyways — so I could read your poem myself and maybe write a reply back. So, for the past three days, I’ve been stuck in my room, memorizing character after character and practicing stroke order and all that stuff.” 

 

Kyungsoo was amazed with how fast and enthusiastically the younger spoke, and Jongin could tell since the prince’s eyes were so wide with astonishment.

 

“Sorry ‘bout that, I just wanted to get that all out,” Jongin laughed, scratching the back of his head, only to be thrown off by his hair being in a bun again. He still wasn’t used to not feeling his short, fluffy hair. He also forgot about the bump on his head and the cloth wrapped around it. 

 

Kyungsoo noticed Jongin’s sudden discomfort and thought of something. Jongin watched as the prince turned to his side to grab the brush that was already lying there. He dipped it in ink before he turned back to Jongin. 

 

“Oh, you were sitting out here sketching aga— Hey, what are you doing?” Jongin asked as Kyungsoo gently grabbed his head and pulled him towards him. Being so close to him like this, Jongin’s heart started pounding, he could hear it in his own ears. He then felt the strokes of the brush on the cloth against his head and realized the prince was drawing on his headband. 

 

When Kyungsoo was finished, he pulled away and smiled proudly at his work.

 

“What did you draw?” Jongin asked, feeling strangely happy with how giddy the prince looked. 

 

Kyungsoo only shrugged and started gathering his things. He got up and pulled Jongin’s arm, so he could stand up, too. Jongin looked at Kyungsoo curiously, so the prince started shooing him away. 

 

“Oh, you want me to leave?” Jongin pretended to frown. “I guess you don’t like spending time with me…” 

 

Kyungsoo pouted and adamantly shook his head, but Jongin wanted to continue messing with him. “If not, then you must have a super early bedtime? Well, I guess a good-looking prince like you has to get his beauty sleep,” Jongin shrugged. 

 

The prince didn’t want to risk having his flushed face revealed under the moonlight, so he immediately turned around and rushed out of the courtyard. 

 

Jongin couldn’t help but feel ecstatic at how the prince reacted when he was embarrassed. He felt as if this energy could keep him up all night studying another text.

 

“Goodnight, Prince Kyungsoo!! I’ll see you again soon!!” Jongin called out with a huge smile on his face, as he watched Kyungsoo’s back scurry under the stone arch and out of sight.

 

He practically skipped his way back to his house, prancing through the entrance and down the hall without his cousin noticing him. He was probably sleeping already, but Jongin didn’t care at the moment. 

 

Or so he thought. 

 

When he arrived at his room, the scholar was standing there as soon as he opened the screen doors, with his arms crossed sternly over his chest. 

 

“Where’ve you been?” was the first thing he asked. 

 

Jongin chuckled nervously before answering, “Ah, hyung-nim, I just went to get some fresh air. I thought I’d be back before you noticed my absence.” He then pouted and made his eyes wide, putting on his best kicked puppy expression before whining, “I’m sorry, Joonmyun-hyung, please forgive me this once!” 

 

A horrified expression graced the scholar’s face and he pushed the younger off of him. “You weren’t like this at all before, what really happened to you?” 

 

“Ay, don’t push me away~” Jongin said, voice leaking with cute playfulness that was way too much for his age. 

 

Joonmyun looked at him with narrowed suspicious eyes, and he waggled a finger in front of Jongin’s face. “Okay, I know you’re still injured and first few days of studying must’ve been hard on you, so I’ll let you off today because you haven’t adjusted yet.”

 

“Thank you, hyung-nim! It won’t happen again!”

 

Joonmyun nodded, saying, “It's late, you should sleep now."

 

When Joonmyun walked out of the room and shut the screen doors together, Jongin set out to get ready for bed.

 

He sat back down in front of his desk to gather his papers into one neat pile, when he suddenly caught his reflection on his small table mirror.

 

On his headband was an ink drawn smiley face, on the exact spot where Kyungsoo had held his head still and paint brushed over it. This being too cute and too much to handle, Jongin flailed his arms and legs and barely held back from squealing with excitement, because Joonmyun would probably come back and check on him if he heard too much noise.

 

When he finally settled out of his outerwear and set up the bed, he laid down under the blanket and carefully placed his head on his pillow, making sure the side where the smiley was on was facing up. He needed to protect that drawing the same way he wished to protect Kyungsoo.

 

He fell asleep with a smile on his face and slept soundly throughout the entire night.

  
  
  


Over the next few weeks, Jongin worked hard with his studies so that he’d be able to see Kyungsoo during his free time. He’d try to finish up all the work that Joonmyun threw his way by before sundown so that he wouldn’t have anything to hold him back from doing whatever he wanted. He found himself always looking forward to seeing Kyungsoo at the end of the day, because the prince would always be waiting for him in the courtyard. 

 

It was supposed to be the prince’s alone time, so there were never any servants attending to him when Jongin visited. Initially, since no one was around, not a single person knew about Jongin and Kyungsoo meeting up; it was bound to spread around the palace when watchful eyes saw Jongin crossing over to the prince’s personal courtyard where no one else but the prince was allowed. 

 

Jongin didn’t care — coming from the contemporary era, he didn’t believe in social hierarchy constructs. He just knew he wanted to be around Kyungsoo, whether the boy was a prince or a pauper. 

 

But others were not so forgiving. 

 

Joonmyun decided that Jongin should have a change in learning environment and brought him outside to do his studies. It was great and all, with the fresh air and the sun beating down on him, but sometimes, the wind blowing away his papers and knocking his ink over dozens of times just wasn’t doing it for him. He was also sitting atop a hill, overlooking the fields where young men who were training to be warriors were practicing their fighting and archery skills -- Jongin was able to block out the noise most of the time, but there were times when it got a bit too much. 

 

Once Jongin caught sight of Kyungsoo making his rounds through the palace, he decided that all the mishaps and annoyances were worth it, if it meant catching a glance of the prince during the day.

 

Kyungsoo was passing by, but Jongin was smiling so brightly, watching him walk away, that he didn't realize the soldier elite were making their way towards him.

 

“Look here, we’ve caught him in the act,” one sneered.

 

“He's not even bothering to hide it in broad daylight, he must not feel any shame.”

 

Jongin turned around and saw three of them standing behind him, with their arms crossed and malicious expressions on their faces. One had a half-eaten apple in his hands, another had serious eyebrows, and the last one had his long hair down.

 

“What brings you guys here?” Jongin asked, genuinely confused. Scholars and warriors usually didn’t interact because they were always so busy and their roles in the palace were so different.

 

“You don’t know? Are you playing innocent right now? The whole palace is talking about it.” 

 

“You were doing so well until now,” the long-haired soldier said. “You acted stuck up and arrogant, but at least you kept to yourself and knew your place.”

 

“Should we remind him where he belongs?” the other with fuzzy eyebrows asked playfully, then turned back to Jongin. “The prince wouldn't associate with someone of low class like you.”

 

“What are you talking about? How dare you talking to me like this, I'm a scholar of the palace.”

 

“You are now, but if your cousin Joonmyun hadn't taken you in and brought you to the palace, you'd be starving in the marketplace streets and living in poverty! Have you forgotten already?”

 

“Ah, right, you lost your memory a few weeks ago… Such a shame that you had to begin your studies again.” 

 

Jongin didn’t understand why these people who he’s never met before were so interested in his life. He never thought that these strangers would know so much about him. He also didn’t quite get why they wanted to bully and intimidate him. 

 

“The prince also wouldn't be with someone who can't protect him,” the one with an apple said, finally allowing Jongin to figure out what this is about. “We should give him a few pointers, right guys? Let’s help him out.”

 

Before Jongin could react, they grabbed him and pulled him up. He struggled to get away, but there were three of them and they were a lot stronger than he was. They dragged him down the hill, all the way to the fields where the rest of the warriors were practicing. Some of them looked on curiously what was going on and others didn’t mind, completely focused on their own task at hand. 

 

When they got to the spot where they wanted to bring him, they pushed Jongin down on the ground. 

 

“Get up!” one of the warriors barked at him. 

 

Jongin knew it would be wise not to resist, because they were probably ten times stronger than him. He didn’t rush to stand on his feet, but took his time, not wanting to seem like a desperate mouse trapped by three tigers. 

 

This annoyed the elite soldiers and one of them kicked him back down, before yelling at him to stand up again. 

 

This time when he got back up, they shoved something heavy into his arms. The shape was weird and wide, and one look at it, Jongin could tell it was a bow. He’s never touched one during his life in the present and he’s never touched one in Joseon. 

 

“Shoot one.” 

 

“What?” Jongin asked. 

 

“Shoot an arrow and hit the bull’s-eye,” the long-haired one said, pointing at a few targets a number of yards away. “If you’re able to do so, we’ll leave you alone,” he said, shoving a quiver of arrows into Jongin’s arms as well. 

 

“How do you expect me to shoot an arrow if I’ve never even held a bow before?” 

 

“Just do it.” 

 

Jongin was an idiot, so fine, he decided maybe he  _ could  _ do it just like he’s seen in the movies. But he was never trained professionally, and these soldier elites were not offering any help, so it wasn’t working out well. His positioning and stance were wrong and he was hooking the bowstring with too much finger tension. He only managed to get some arrows a few feet away, but it wasn’t much when the target was much farther than that. After a couple of tries, he already developed painful blisters on his fingers. 

 

“This won’t do,” the one with the apple interrupted. “I have another idea.” 

 

He grabbed Jongin’s arm and walked him all the way to the target. Jongin was naive to think that he was maybe giving him a second chance, but this time closer to the target. That thought diminished when he was brought  _ all _ the way to the target and the bow and arrows were taken away from him. 

 

“Stand still in front of the target. I’ve always wanted to try this,” he said, shoving Jongin against the bull’s-eye. He placed the apple on the scholar’s head, but immediately, Jongin shook it off and it fell onto the grass with a soft thud.

 

“What makes you think I’m going to let you guys use me like this?” Jongin asked, struggling to get out of the warrior’s grip. “This is going way too far!” 

 

“If you decide to move or run away, we’ll aim to shoot you instead of the apple. Wouldn’t want that, now would we? You’d be a much bigger target to hit than a mere apple, so the accuracy of our hit would be a lot higher.” 

 

As the warrior picked up the apple and handed it back to Jongin with a smirk on his face, Jongin glared at him. “Just warning you.” With that said, he walked back to his group of friends, who Jongin could see was already practicing their archery stance. 

 

Jongin didn’t want to know how stupid he looked with an apple on top of his head, standing in front of a target; if an arrow were to accidentally pierce him somewhere, he didn’t like that this was the way he was going to exit this world. 

 

From far away, he could see one of them finally taking aim. One second, he could see the arrow flying straight at him, and the next, he heard a loud thud sound right next to his right ear. 

 

Not daring to turn his head, he only saw the arrow in the corner of his eye. He’s not sure if it was inches or centimeters away, but it was right next to his face. Jongin dreaded thinking about one of them slipping a finger. 

 

He could see another one of them getting ready to shoot. This time, not wanting to see the arrow hurtling towards him, he closed his eyes and waited. 

 

He waited, and waited, and waited, but nothing came. His eyes flew open when he heard a blood-curdling yell from where the warriors were standing. 

 

He saw the warrior — the one who was about to shoot — kneeling on the ground, looking up for mercy from… 

 

_ Prince Kyungsoo.  _

 

The other two warriors were standing in shock, frightened to do or say anything else. Before they could even turn and run away, Kyungsoo took the sword he was holding and he swiftly moved behind them and sliced through the back of their calves, earning screams of pain from them. 

 

As they begged for forgiveness, Kyungsoo threw the sword on the ground and walked away from them. Jongin could see the prince walking closer and closer to him, but all he could do was just stand and stare. 

 

Kyungsoo really just did that. For him? 

 

When the prince finally reached him, he gave him a meaningful glance before reaching over to him. Jongin didn’t even realize the apple was still on his head until Kyungsoo took it off and handed it to him. 

 

_ — I’m sorry for not coming in time.  _

 

Jongin shook his head because the prince shouldn’t feel sorry for anything, the scholar is just glad that he came at all. 

 

Kyungsoo took his hand and urged him to walk, even though he was feeling weak in the knees from the shock and scare. Walking past the injured warriors, the prince shot them a glare, his harsh eyes saying a thousand words. 

 

Kyungsoo couldn’t speak, but his message was clear:  _ I don’t need protecting and I will not hesitate to strike you if you hurt Jongin again. _

  
  
  


“I’m sorry,” Jongin apologized. 

 

They were back in Kyungsoo’s courtyard, sitting on their usual spot on the ledge. The moonlight was gleaming over the two of them, the night sky dotted with stars. 

 

Kyungsoo didn’t do anything in response to Jongin’s apology except turn to his side. When Jongin tried to look over what the prince was doing, Kyungsoo surprised him by plopping a board with a blank sheet of paper on his lap. 

 

When Jongin shot him a confused look, Kyungsoo dropped a paint brush on top of it all. 

 

“You want me to paint?” 

 

Kyungsoo smiled and nodded. 

 

“Paint what?” 

 

The prince gestured all around him, and Jongin asked, “So, anything?” to which the prince nodded again. 

 

Jongin tilted his head, completely unsure of what he was supposed to do. The last time he painted was probably in Kindergarten during play time. He remembered that it didn’t end so well, because he was That Naughty Kid™ who dumped paint on his teacher. 

 

Jongin decided maybe he could start off simple and paint the trees and the moon in the sky, but his skill level said it was anything but simple. Sometimes, he dipped the brush too much and gathered too much ink, and his hand was a little shaky. 

 

What took him by surprise was when he felt an arm around his back and a hand on top of his. He could feel his heart starting to race and pound against his chest when he realized that Kyungsoo was practically wrapping him in his embrace and holding his hand. In the corner of his eye, he could see the prince focusing on the painting while guiding his hand; Jongin was glad that he wasn’t staring at his flushed face, but he worried that he could probably feel his erratic heartbeat. 

 

Jongin was paying attention to anything but the painting. He made an effort to control his breathing around the prince and tried not to think about how close Prince Kyungsoo was to him. 

 

When the painting was finished, so was Jongin’s contemplation about his feelings. He knew he liked Kyungsoo and that no other person, past or present, made him feel this way before. He wasn’t going to tell the prince right now on impulse, though. 

 

He started to feel a little bit down thinking about how so many things would keep him from being together with Kyungsoo. First, they were both men. Jongin had no idea how they viewed same sex relationships here, but if it’s looked down upon by society in the present, it most likely isn’t favorable here. Second, Kyungsoo is a  _ prince _ . There were people watching his every move and planning his entire life, including his marriage. Because Jongin was someone of a lower tier than royalty, nobody would accept him to be by the prince’s side. 

 

Finally, this was Joseon — Jongin is from 2017. He doesn’t belong in this time period. 

 

With a heavy heart, Jongin told Kyungsoo to keep his painting. The prince had wanted him to keep the first painting he’s drawn, but eventually conceded and held onto it. Trying to hide his upset, Jongin told the prince goodnight and smiled saying he’ll see him again soon. 

  
  
  


It took a few days for Jongin to get over those sad facts, but he was back to normal after having some time to himself. He accepted that even though Kyungsoo was the first person he ever truly came to have feelings for, he’d just have to settle with stifling down his feelings and keeping them to himself. 

 

It hurt him more to stay away from the prince during those couple of days, so when he decided that he should visit him again, he found himself being extremely happy. He apologized to the prince, saying that his studies were consuming him, which was why he couldn’t visit the past few days. It was true in a way; Jongin tried to drown himself in work to take his mind off of the prince — it didn’t work.

 

Kyungsoo wanted to see Jongin paint more, so it came to the scholar as a surprise when the prince shoved another board of paper and a brush on his lap once again. It meant more hand holding and subtle embraces. 

 

Jongin’s painting skills were put to the test when Joonmyun suggested that he take it up along with his studies; the older had no idea that he was already doing so with Kyungsoo. 

 

“You can either paint or learn the gayageum as enrichment for your studies,” his cousin suggested. “Doing something artistic can help stimulate you more and help you concentrate better. People will also consider you to be well-rounded if you take up something on the artistic side.”

 

Jongin told Joonmyun he’d paint — might as well appease his cousin doing something he already knew. Joonmyun happily gathered all the materials he needed and set him up in a painting class. Jongin was doing ‘unexpectedly’ well among the other students because of his private side lessons with the Crown Prince, but no one had to know about that. 

 

Joonmyun often sat Jongin outside on the palace grounds to paint scenery. One summer morning, Joonmyun led him to a hill that overlooked a small river, which had a bridge linking the royal quarters to the palace’s secret garden. 

 

“We can sit here together, while I study and you paint the scenery; it’ll be nice!” Joonmyun suggested enthusiastically. Jongin only nodded and followed, because his cousin was carrying all of his art supplies anyway. 

 

Once they were settled, Jongin set off to capturing the scene perfectly. He took a look at the colors that he had and saw that he needed more to capture the vibrancy of the tree’s against the water. He wished his art skills were better because this was the most beautiful scenery that he’s ever encountered so far, and he wished he could do it justice. 

 

Just when he thought it couldn’t look more stunning, the Crown Prince appeared. 

 

He was across the river from Jongin, crossing the bridge with his attendants and entering the garden. He hadn’t noticed the two scholars and continued to walk through, admiring the flowers and trees. 

 

Jongin couldn’t help it but abandon every thought he just had of painting the trees, river, bridge, everything — he had the sudden urge to paint the Crown Prince, who was looking far more breathtaking than everything around him. 

 

As the brush stroked the paper, Jongin couldn’t help but fall for Kyungsoo even more, admiring his features, whether it was up close in his courtyard or far away like this. He had already memorized every curve and crook of Kyungsoo’s forehead, nose, and lips. 

 

Jongin was almost finished with painting Kyungsoo when the Crown Prince finally noticed him. The scholar looked up from his artwork and their eyes met for what seemed like a forever of a moment. Jongin broke out into a wide grin and raised his brush to say hi. 

 

When Kyungsoo tore his gaze away from him without responding, Jongin was a little disappointed, but when the Crown Prince made sure none of his attendants were looking, he shot Jongin a small smile, eyes crinkling and all. 

 

That simple gesture managed to send Jongin’s spirits spiraling to the sky, but he could barely hide it behind the blush on his cheeks and the hands covering his face. With the smile still on his face, Kyungsoo turned away to return surveying the garden, leaving Jongin completely content with himself. 

 

“Alright, we can head back now,” Joonmyun announced, rudely awakening Jongin out of his reverie. 

 

For a brief moment, Jongin panicked because he completely forgot his cousin was sitting behind him, off to the side. He whipped around and saw that the scholar was focusing on closing his books and gathering them, so Jongin had time to maybe turn his painting around and hide what exactly he worked on. 

 

He stood up and tried to hide the painting underneath his arm, held in place between his arm and body. He forced a fake smile on his face when his cousin turned to him. 

 

“Ready to go?” 

 

The younger scholar nodded. As they were walking away from the hill, Jongin didn't dare look back at Prince Kyungsoo while his cousin was right beside him. 

 

Finally replacing greenery and vibrant flowers with making it back to the palace’s stone walls, Jongin saw a familiar face about to disappear underneath the entrance to all the living quarters.

 

“Jongdae!” Jongin called out, forgetting where he was and who he was with. “Kim Jongdae!”

 

The astronomer didn't hear him and continued to walk out of sight. Jongin was about to go after him when a grip on his arm stopped him.

 

“Where are you going? Why are you calling Astronomer Kim again? Last time I addressed him, he told me he's never spoken to you before.”

 

“I—” _ I need to see him, I need to talk to him. He’s the only familiar face from the present who is here.  _

 

“Have you suddenly taken interest in the stars?” 

 

Jongin was stunned that Joonmyun came to that conclusion, but he had no other excuse to tell his cousin because  _ how would he believe that he knows Jongdae from centuries later? _ He quickly nodded, just wanting to will away the older’s curiosity. 

 

“That’s good,” the scholar nodded thoughtfully. “I have a tale to tell you.” 

  
  
  


After a night of studying, Jongin was going to sneak out his window to see Kyungsoo, like usual. His right leg was already out of the window when his door flung open. Joonmyun was standing there, visibly frustrated. 

 

“Where are you going?” 

 

Jongin could feel his blood freeze when he heard his cousin’s stern voice. He slowly backed away from the window, withdrawing his leg to allow his body be completely inside his room again. 

 

“... Fresh air?” 

 

“That excuse is old now,” Joonmyun frowned and sighed. “We need to talk.” 

 

He made his way over to where Jongin was and took hold of his wrist. He turned back around, leading the younger out of his bedroom and into the living room where Chanyeol and Baekhyun were waiting.  

 

“What’s wrong, guys?” Jongin asked, because it seemed like the two servants had been waiting there, too. It wasn’t usual that the four of them gathered in the common area like this. 

 

“Jongin, what's this going around the palace that you're hanging around Prince Kyungsoo?” the scholar asked in an accusing tone. “Not even as friends, but as in you're having an affair with him.” 

 

_ This is what this is about _ . 

 

_ It would have caught up with him eventually _ .

 

Jongin only shrugged. “People don't know what they're talking about. They like to spread things before actually looking into it.”

 

“But what if I asked you? Is it true?” 

 

“Not entirely,” Jongin frowned. “It's true that I've been hanging out with him, but it's not true that we’re having an affair. If anything, it's one-sided on my part.”

 

The two servants gasped, widening their eyes and mouths, but Joonmyun’s face stayed placid; calm, cool, and collected. None of them were expecting that last part. 

 

“Prince Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“You have feelings for him?” Chanyeol echoed. 

 

Jongin nodded as if he were answering a question that wouldn’t cost him his life. “Yeah, but I haven’t acted upon it. I never told him anything, so he doesn’t know.” 

 

“Jongin, sticking around him is acting on it enough,” Joonmyun told him sternly. “You can’t keep seeing him — people in the palace want to kick you out again, and I’m looking bad for taking you into my house in the first place.” 

 

“Even though Kyungsoo isn’t next in line for the Crown, people are still watching him,” Baekhyun warned. 

 

Jongin didn’t want to hear this again. He had already tried to stay away from the prince once, but seeing Kyungsoo was the only thing that made him forget that he was stuck in a time period in which he did not belong. Avoiding Kyungsoo was one of the most difficult things that Jongin’s ever had to do, and he didn’t want to hear the reason why he had to in the first place, over and over again. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Jongin bowed his head to the three of them. “I’ll try my best not to be seen with him.”

 

“No, you'll try your best to stay away from him, even if it's away from the public eye,” Joonmyun corrected him. “You can't associate with the prince.”

 

Jongin bowed his head again, and without another word walked back to his room. He closed the door behind him, not believing that he was just confronted about that. He pondered what he should do as he aimlessly made his way over to the window — the one that he’s escape through to see Kyungsoo many times — to close it.

 

He was feeling dazed in belief and he could hear a small voice in his head telling him that he should just sleep off these negative feelings and figure out what to do from there. But another larger voice was telling him,  _ Fuck it.  _

 

_ I don’t give a  _ fuck _. I’m gonna do what  _ I  _ want.  _

 

He angrily kicked his desk, not caring if Joonmyun would hear from across the other room. All anger and pain dissipated when he saw a folded paper fall out from under the desk and onto the floor. 

 

“Huh?” Jongin wondered aloud, as he bent down and picked it up. It seemed like a poem that the Jongin from before wrote. After studying for such a long time, he was able to easily read it.

 

定

  


不

  


负

  


相

  


思

  


意

| 

只

  


愿

  


君

  


心

  


似

  


我

  


心

| 

此

  


恨

  


何

  


时

  


已

| 

此

  


水

  


几

  


时

  


休

| 

共

  


饮

  


长

  


江

  


水

| 

日

  


日

  


思

  


君

  


不

| 

君

  


住

  


长

  


江

  


尾

  


见

  


君

| 

我

  


住

  


长

  


江

  


头  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
 

_ I live upstream and you downstream, _

_ From night to night of you I dream. _

_ Unlike the stream you are not in view, _

_ Though both we drink from River Blue. _

_ When will the river no more flow _ ？

_ When will my grief no more grow _ ？

_ I wish your heart will be like mine _ ，

_ Then not in vain for you I pine.  _

 

Jongin’s eye furrowed. It seemed like the Jongin from before was not as heartless as he thought, but in fact, was yearning for someone else’s heart. Jongin glanced down at what was signed at the bottom.

 

_ — for Prince Kyungsoo _

 

His eyes widened and he almost dropped the scroll in shock. He brought the paper closer to his face as if it would change what he saw. The name was still in front of him, forever inked onto the paper from the past. 

 

_ Prince Kyungsoo? Jongin liked Prince Kyungsoo before, too?  _

 

_ “Start getting the prince’s dinner ready, we don’t know how long he’s going to spend in his courtyard today.”  _

 

_ The cook nodded and hurried inside the prince’s quarters, not wasting anymore time. The head of the prince’s attendants looked around as if expecting someone, but then went inside after him.  _

 

_ Jongin breathed a sigh of relief, glad that they didn’t go around the corner of the residence and catch sight of him.  _

 

_ He peeked his head around the corner and looked around to see that no one was around. The prince was going to come to his courtyard soon, and he wanted to see him just once today.  _

 

_ Just once, and he’d be okay.  _

 

_ He couldn’t be obvious because he was scared. Scared that his feelings weren’t right, so he had to stifle it all down and pretend not to care about Prince Kyungsoo at all.  _

 

_ He wouldn’t be able to see the prince if he stayed in this corner, because if he peeked his head around, he’d probably get caught. Jongin had to think fast. The scholar saw the apple tree and saw an opportunity. He ran over to it and reached up for the lowest branch.  _

 

_ He’s never climbed a tree before, but if it was to see just one glance of Prince Kyungsoo, he’d do it for the first time.  _

 

_ He settled himself comfortably on a branch, but saw that he couldn’t really see anything past the leaves and apples. He tried to climb higher and higher, and he had to do it quickly before Prince Kyungsoo arrived at the courtyard. He was able to grab another branch when he lost his footing — everything quickly blurred together, and before he knew it, he felt his head crack on pavement…  _

 

Jongin shook his head not knowing where that came from. He furrowed his brows in confusion, trying to figure out if that image was a flashback or something he came up with his own imagination. It seemed too vivid to be the latter, but at the same time, he knew he’s never experienced that himself.

 

Regardless, he decided to forget about it and focus on something else more important to him. He blew out the main lamplight of his room so that Joonmyun wouldn’t be suspicious if he walked past his room in the middle of the night. He lit the candle on his desk and set to work, only illuminated by the dim firelight… 

  
  
  


Jongin was holding Kyungsoo’s hand, guiding him down a hill that led to the riverbank. The two papers he had underneath his robes were starting to feel heavy and he could feel his nervousness start to get the best of him, but it wasn’t enough to stop him. 

 

“Careful,” Jongin said, looking back to check on the prince. Kyungsoo sent him a reassuring smile to let him know that he was completely okay. 

 

Jongin wanted this to be a surprise to the older and had told him to just trust him, so it wasn’t uncalled for when they reached the edge of the river and Kyungsoo gave him a questioning look. 

 

“We’re going for a boat ride!” Jongin announced, gesturing towards the boat on the water. “But you won’t have to lift a finger, I’ll be doing all the rowing.”  

 

Kyungsoo gave him a curious look, but let Jongin help him into the boat anyway. After the scholar managed to get the boat seated completely in the water, he hopped into the back, paddles and all. 

 

Kyungsoo was seated comfortably with his back facing the front of the boat, and he happily watched Jongin as he rowed. 

 

“You’re probably wondering why I brought you out here,” Jongin told him as they reached far away from the bank, and the prince shrugged and nodded. “I felt like being in the middle of the lake, we can be away from the eyes and ears of the people in the palace. I wanted to tell you something that’s important to me.” 

 

Jongin took out the two papers from beneath his robe. He handed it over to Kyungsoo, who in turn opened it up to see that it was the painting of him. He looked up in disbelief at the scholar, because it was  _ beautiful _ . 

 

“My cousin took me onto that hill where we could see your secret garden. He wanted me to paint the scenery in front of me, but then when I saw you… I couldn’t paint anything else,” he confessed. “Without you teaching me, I wouldn’t have been able to paint this in the first place, so I wanted you to have it.” 

 

Kyungsoo smiled gratefully and held onto the painting, letting the scholar know that he’ll treasure it forever. 

 

“There’s more,” Jongin said. 

 

He handed the prince the other roll of paper and watched as he opened it.

 

卻

  


有

  


晴

| 

道

  


是

  


無

  


晴

| 

西

  


邊

  


雨

| 

東

  


邊

  


日

  


出

| 

唱

  


歌

  


聲

| 

聞

  


郎

  


江

  


上

| 

江

  


水

  


平

| 

楊

  


柳

  


青

  


青  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
 

Jongin recited as the prince read the poem,

 

> _ Green, O green is the willow, placid, peaceful the flow;  _
> 
> _ Hark and I hear on the river, songs from my love, my beau.  _
> 
> _ To the east, the sun is up, to the west, drizzles persist;  _
> 
> _ Though they say the sun is naught, to me, the sun is aglow. _

 

Throughout the whole thing, Kyungsoo’s expression was unreadable. Jongin had no idea what was going on through the prince’s mind, even though his intentions were very clear through the poem. 

 

“I know that the people of the palace might disapprove of my feelings for you, but I couldn’t hold back anymore. I wanted to tell you how I feel; I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I even told you, despite the risk of you not wanting to see me anymore, because I wanted, no,  _ needed _ you to know how I feel. But if you feel burdened by my feelings, you can take the paper and  throw it into the lake. The ink can wash away and the paper will sink to the bottom forgotten, just like— ” 

 

Jongin was suddenly cut off by the prince leaning forward and taking Jongin’s face in his hands. The scholar felt lips pressed against his, effectively cutting off and making him forget everything he had to say. 

 

The prince was kissing him. 

 

_ Kyungsoo was kissing him.  _

 

Kyungsoo pulled away, almost laughing at the shocked expression on the scholar’s face. He took hold of one of Jongin’s hands and pressed his lips against it, then looked up again with questioning eyes. 

 

_ Is this enough reassurance? I have feelings for you, too. _

 

Jongin nodded, too overwhelmed with happiness as the prince hugged the poem closer to his chest. 

  
  
  


“You look happier than usual,” Joonmyun said, eyeing the younger scholar suspiciously. 

 

Jongin and his cousin were walking back from a lesson together. It was already dark, this being the latest that they’ve stayed outside from studying. Usually at this time, they’d be inside their houses after eating dinner. 

 

The darkness gave way for seeing a light that Jongin’s never noticed before. 

 

“Hyung-nim, what’s that light over there?” 

 

Joonmyun looked at where Jongin was pointing at the sky and saw that it was coming from the palace’s top-most tower. “You really don’t know what that is?”

 

Jongin shook his head. 

 

“That’s the astronomy tower, where the scholars who study the stars are. I’m surprised you don’t know because you keep mentioning Astronomer Kim Jongdae.” 

 

_ Kim Jongdae? That’s where Kim Jongdae is?  _

 

Jongin spoke before he thought. “Hyung-nim, I’d be able to go up there, right?”

 

Joonmyun pulled his lips back in thought and answered, “You probably could if he’s not too busy. He seems busy right now though— hey!” 

 

Once Jongin got permission from the first part, he didn’t wait to hear what else Joonmyun had to say. He raced in the direction of the tower, eventually making it to the side of the palace where it was. There were so many steps to the top-most room of the tower, but Jongin was able to quickly make it all the way. The door was closed, so he took a moment to compose himself. 

 

Jongin rapped on the door, heart beating in excitement and fear at the same time. He didn’t know what to expect, but it’s been months since he’s seen his best friend’s face.

 

“Come in.” 

 

Jongin entered the room, and was met with the sight of the astronomer standing near the window, with a book in his hands. He turned to the door and saw the scholar.

 

“You’re Kim Jongin, right?” 

 

Jongin nodded, mesmerized to finally see his best friend’s face up close like this in the Joseon era. This whole time, he’s only been met with new and unfamiliar faces, but Jongdae’s was a face he knew from before he became stranded here. 

 

_ It made him think, “If Jongdae is here, and I also have a past life here, reincarnation must be real, meaning… Do Kyungsoo must be somewhere in the future, too…” _

 

“You… you’re not from here,” the astronomer suddenly blurted out. 

 

Jongin’s eyebrows furrowed, not understanding how Jongdae could tell from just a glance at him. “What do you mean?” 

 

“You’re not from Joseon,” Jongdae repeated. “It was written in the stars.”

 

Jongin’s stunned expression prompted the astronomer to go on.

 

“There was one night when the star of a foreigner appeared. I had left the palace to search for anyone from another country who could’ve been shipwrecked on our shores. When I returned, having found no one, your cousin Joonmyun came up to me and brought it to my attention that you’ve lost your memory and were acting as if… you were a  _ different person. _

 

“But I knew better. I’ve figured that you were the “newcomer” and have kept watched over your star these past few months. It has dimmed down and is about to fade away — this is not a good sign. You have to go back before something terrible happens to you.” 

 

“Go back?”

 

“Yes, go back to where you came from,” Jongdae repeated.

 

“I… I can’t…” 

 

“Why not?” the astronomer asked urgently. 

 

“I just can’t.” 

 

“Is it because of Prince Kyungsoo?” Jongdae asked again. “Wouldn’t you want to stay alive and go back to wherever you’re from? I’m sure you’d like to keep your life…” 

 

“But the thing is, I don’t  _ know _ how to go back. I’ve tried multiple times even before I met Kyungsoo. Something else is holding me back, not only Kyungsoo.” 

 

_ ‘Not only Kyungsoo… Hah, I’ve fallen too hard for him, I wouldn’t want to go back even if I could…’  _

 

“Kim Jongin, this is a very crucial warning that you need to take seriously,” the astronomer said gravely. “The stars are speaking out about your existence in this world, and it’d be best if you’d listen. You don’t belong here.” 

 

“What am I supposed to do? I've tried everything, there's no way out of here that I know,” Jongin insisted.

 

Jongdae frowned. “I was hoping your star was fading away due to the fact that you'd leave soon. The only other reason would be because your life is in danger.”

 

Jongin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, because he didn't think there was anything really threatening his life right now. 

 

“If there's nothing you can do to go back,” Jongdae continued. “Then the only thing left is to accept your fate here.”

  
  
  


If Jongin were to be honest, that meeting with Jongdae left him with chills down his spine. He wasn't really one to believe in too much superstitious stuff -- the idea of reincarnation was already too much for him -- but the astronomer’s warning was lodged into his mind. 

 

Kyungsoo could sense his restlessness when they met up. He sat Jongin in their usual spot and pointed up at the sky. 

 

The stars were calming enough Jongin away from his thoughts and into the moment with the prince. Even without speaking, Kyungsoo always made his emotions clear, and right now, he was worried about Jongin. The scholar wanted anything but. 

 

“The stars reminded me of a story that my cousin told me,” Jongin told Kyungsoo. “Do you want to hear it?” 

 

The prince nodded. 

 

“It’s kind of sad,” Jongin warned, but Kyungsoo only shrugged and nodded saying it was okay to go on. The prince leaned his head on Jongin’s shoulder and looked up at the night sky as the scholar began to tell the story. “So there was a prince named Gyeonu and he fell in love in love with a beautiful bride named Jiknyeo. They were really happy together until Jiknyeo’s father found out about them. He was a god and he disapproved of their relationship, so he got the heavens to separate the two lovers. The bride’s father basically banished them to opposite ends of the Milky Way river, but magpie birds decided to take pity on the couple and formed a bridge of their wings to let the lovers cross and meet secretly every seventh day of the seventh moon.” 

 

Jongin pointed at the two lover stars in the sky. “See? They’re right over there. Unfortunately, it’s not magpie molting season right now, so they can’t be together until then.” 

 

Kyungsoo gently took Jongin’s other hand and held it in his one of his own, and Jongin knew it was a gesture thanking him for the story. Personally, Jongin also liked the story because it was about a love that defied divine intervention. 

 

He prayed that his and Kyungsoo’s would be the same; he wanted nothing more than to stay here with the prince forever. 

 

Kyungsoo sat up and reached into his robes and took out paper, just as Jongin had done on the boat. Looking at the scroll, the scholar realized this might be a formal reply to his poem. Kyungsoo urged him to take it, so Jongin held it in his hands and began to read,  
  
  


乃

  


敢

  


与

  


君

  


绝

| 

天

  


地

  


合

| 

夏

  


雨

  


雪

| 

冬

  


雷

  


震

  


震

| 

江

  


水

  


为

  


竭

| 

山

  


无

  


陵

| 

长

  


命

  


无

  


绝

  


衰

| 

我

  


欲

  


与

  


君

  


相

  


知  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
 

It was when the scholar was finished reading that he heard a faint whisper in his ear,

 

_ “I love you.” _

 

Jongin froze. He tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows, trying to make sure he didn’t just imagine what he heard. He then turned to Kyungsoo, who just smiled at him, eyes twinkling brighter than any of the stars in the sky that night. 

 

“Y-you…” Jongin stuttered. “You s-spoke… you said something!” 

 

Kyungsoo nodded and took Jongin’s face in his hands. He leaned in until their lips met in a kiss that was more passionate than their first. 

 

Jongin wasn’t really one to believe in too much superstitious stuff, but he wouldn't find it hard to believe if someone were to say that Kyungsoo was his soulmate.

  
  
  


Kyungsoo speaking was a good sign; he was more than willing to open up to Jongin and it made Jongin probably the happiest man on earth. He couldn’t care less about what anyone had to say to him if they saw him still hanging around the prince. 

 

Jongin finished one of his lessons early afternoon and was on his way to meet Kyungsoo when he saw Chanyeol and Baekhyun. They had uneasy looks on their faces, but Jongin wasn’t so sure he saw their expressions clearly because they were all the way down the hallway of pillars.

 

“Oh, Jongin, where you off to?” Baekhyun asked briefly, although he looked like he didn’t want to stop walking. Chanyeol kept glancing behind them, but Jongin didn’t see anything coming towards them. 

 

“I’m, uh,” Jongin started to answer, but realized he couldn’t really tell them where without getting in trouble with Joonmyun. 

 

“Uh, okay,” Baekhyun started. “Listen, Jongin, you don’t have to answer that, but we suggest that you don’t go in that direction. Maybe you can walk with us for a while,” he suggested nervously. 

 

“Why? Where did you guys come from?” Jongin asked, confused. 

 

“We can tell you some other t—” 

 

“Hey, you!” an aggressive voice called out from down the hall. “Stop right there!” 

 

Past Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s shoulders, Jongin saw some royal guards had appeared down the hall. Without even looking back, the two servants made a run for it, leaving behind the confused scholar. One guard caught up to Jongin and grabbed him. 

 

“Hey!” 

 

“Silence!” the guard shouted. “You are a traitor of the King, so now you will be a palace prisoner!” 

 

“Wait, I didn’t even do anything!” Jongin protested.

 

He watched as more guards appeared in the direction where Baekhyun and Chanyeol were trying to escape. Even though they were already trapped in the grips of the guards, Baekhyun still tried to struggle and get away — an empty bottle fell out from under his robes and rolled around on the ground. 

 

“The poison…” one of the guards said in disbelief. 

 

It was then that the two servants stopped, because it was all over. 

 

“Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol. You are charged with attempted murder for trying to poison the King.” 

 

— — —

 

Jongin was shoved around and wasn’t even given the time to ask the servants what was going on. As soon as all three of them were caught, they were separated from each other. 

 

“Wh-what happened to Baekhyun and Chanyeol?” Jongin managed to stutter out. 

 

“They admitted to their wrongdoings. They were immediately put to death for their sins. Now, we are just waiting for you to confess.” 

 

Jongin had been dragged to the dungeon and placed in his own cell. The guards had roped him down onto a wooden chair, one that was frighteningly splattered with dried blood. Jongin felt a sense of dread as more than one guard entered his cell, some holding large flanks of wooden rods. For about an hour, they tried to get answers out of him. 

 

“We are going to ask you  _ one more time _ . What was your involvement in your plot to kill the king? Is your role to kill Prince Kyungsoo?” 

 

“I already said I had nothing to do with them! I would never hurt the king or Prince Kyungsoo!” Jongin protested. 

 

You were interacting with the perpetrators right after the incident occurred. You were speaking to them after they had gone their way from the crime of delivering drinks to His Majesty. Did you not see the bottle fall out from under the criminal? The king could have been killed!”

 

“Yes, I saw, but like I said before, I had no idea what they were doing or what they had just done!” 

 

“Lies! You were in on the plan, too! What were their motives to kill the king?!” 

 

“I’m telling you that I don’t know! I’m in no part of their scheming, I had no idea about it!!” Jongin insisted hot-headedly. 

 

“You leave us no choice. If you are not going to willingly tell us information… we’re going to have to use a way to  _ extort  _ it out of you.”

  
  
  


Kyungsoo was sitting in his quarters at his desk, practicing his calligraphy. Perfect calligraphy took a lot of coordination and concentration, so the prince was completely focused. He was disrupted when his door flew open and one of his attendants came rushing in, breathless and distressed. The sudden intrusion caused him to knock over his ink bottle, spilling it all over his scroll.

 

He looked up from the mess and at his attendant with an annoyed expression on his face. 

 

“Prince Kyungsoo, I thought you’d might want to hear this,” he said, in between huffs. “It’s not good news at all.” 

 

The prince continued to stare up at him; given that he wasn’t waved away, the attendant took it as permission to continue speaking. 

 

“Scholar Kim Jongin was captured by the king’s royal guards and brought to the torture chamber!” 

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened at the message. Forgetting about the mess and not waiting for anything more to be said, he shot up from his desk and ran out of the door. Many of the palace people who saw him running throughout the grounds cried out in surprise when they saw him, due to the fact that he seemed improper.

 

Kyungsoo didn’t care. He had to go to the dungeons. He had to make it before they hurt Jongin. 

 

Upon barging in and sprinting down the steps, the prince’s heart sank when he heard bloodcurdling screams of pain echoing down the hall. He ran to the farthest cell down the hall and almost cried out in despair when he saw Jongin sitting on the torture chair, covered in blood with stakes in between his legs. 

 

“ _ Stop! What do you think you’re doing?! _ ” Kyungsoo bellowed, startling the guards inside the cell. 

 

“P-Prince Kyungsoo!” one of them came forth towards the gate of the cell. “What are you doing here?” 

 

“ _ Open this gate now! _ ” Kyungsoo commanded furiously. The guards didn’t hesitate to unlock the entrance, and the prince spared no second to throw himself over his lover so they couldn’t hurt him anymore. He took Jongin’s swollen face in his hands and looked at him with a heartbroken expression on his face.

 

“Jongin… why did they hurt you like this?” 

 

“Soo…” Jongin breathed out painfully, only half-aware. His eyes focused on the man hovering over him for a few seconds, only for them to roll back as he lost consciousness. 

 

“What have you done to him!” Kyungsoo shouted out angrily, voice hoarse from all those years of staying silent. “He’s done nothing wrong!” 

 

“Y-your Highness!” the punishment executors stuttered when they came to terms with the fact that the prince was actually  _ speaking _ . “He’s under suspicion for having possible connections to the people who attempted to poison the king; we’re trying to usurp as much information as we can from him!” 

 

“I said he did nothing wrong!” Kyungsoo snarled angrily. “Release him from this punishment!”

 

“But the King’s royal decree—” 

 

“I will personally take care of the King,” the prince cut in harshly. “Leave at once!”  

 

The guard looked as if he still wanted to protest, but he kept his mouth shut, As they left one by one, Kyungsoo brought his hand to Jongin’s bloodied face and caressed his cheek, stirring him awake again. “Jongin…” 

 

“Kyungsoo… you're… talking…” 

 

“Shhh,” Kyungsoo hushed him. “You're gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay, so you don't have to speak right now.”

 

“Is it… okay… if I sleep, right now?”

 

“Mhmm,” the prince urged. “Sleep. I'll wake you up later.” 

 

“Your voice… is beautiful… I need to hear it later… too…” Jongin said, drifting off into unconsciousness once more.

  
  
  


“Internal bleeding?” 

 

The medical practitioner nodded his head sympathetically. “There’s nothing we can do. I’m sorry, Your Highness.” 

 

Kyungsoo closed his eyes, not really knowing how to absorb the news. He waved the medical practitioner away, so that he and Jongin would be left alone in the room. 

 

It was a few moments later when Jongin’s eyes blinked open and all the pain flooded his senses. Kyungsoo grew alarmed at the scholar’s groans of pain and was about to get the medical practitioner again, but Jongin’s hand shot out to grasp the prince. 

 

“Don’t go…” 

 

“Jongin…” Kyungsoo uttered, gently holding onto Jongin’s hand. He withered inside when he felt how clammy the scholar’s hand felt. “Okay, I’m not going anywhere; just don’t move because you’re too hurt.” 

 

Jongin realized how faint he felt when he shot up to hold onto the prince. Kyungsoo helped him lie back down before pulling up the blankets back over his chest. 

 

“You’re gonna be okay,” Kyungsoo reassured him. “Don’t worry.” 

 

With a weak, but knowing smile, Jongin said, “I didn’t say anything.” 

 

When Jongin said that, the prince realized he was reassuring himself more than anyone else. Jongin must have heard what the medical practitioner said before leaving, which was exactly what Kyungsoo didn’t want. 

 

“Nothing’s gonna happen to you,” Kyungsoo told him, starting to choke back sobs. Jongin watched helplessly as tears began to stream down the prince’s face. 

 

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin started, already sounding short of breath. “You told me… I was gonna be okay, so I’m gonna be okay even if it means that I have to go. But before something happens to me, I need you to know something.” 

 

“I said nothing’s gonna happen to you,” the prince insisted tearfully. 

 

“Kyungsoo, I’m not scared,” Jongin insisted. “There’s… no easy way to tell you this… but if I die here, I’m not going to cease in existence.”

 

“Jongin…” 

 

“What I’m saying… may sound crazy… but I’m not from here… Joseon, this time period… what I’m saying is the truth…” 

 

The prince furrowed his eyebrows, confused at what Jongin was saying. “You’re…” 

 

“I’ve come from a time long after this, where there are… technology, cars, flying… I’m not the Jongin from before… Jongin didn’t have amnesia. Jongin had already died and I time traveled into his body… I believe when I die, I will just travel back to my time, because I don’t belong here. I’m not making this up.” 

 

Kyungsoo stared, slowly comprehending what Jongin was saying. “I believe you.” 

 

“So please don’t feel sad when I pass, because we’ll meet again… I’ll find you.” 

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes only burned more at the thought of Jongin not being by his side right now, but he was willing to wait if he had to — if it was what it meant to be together again. 

 

Jongin’s breath rate started increasing; he felt like he was suffocating. His fingertips turned blue, but Kyungsoo held his hands to try and keep it warm. Soon he couldn’t see, but he could still hear the prince talk. There was a point where Jongin felt himself drifting, no longer able to answer back to the prince, and Kyungsoo knew it was time.

 

_ ‘That’s right, Jongin-ah… Go to sleep now… I’ll wait for the day that I’ll meet you in another life…’ _

 

Kyungsoo’s voice was just a whisper because it was only for Jongin to hear — not for the wind blowing nor for the trees outside, only for Jongin. Those words of promise were the last thing Jongin heard before the world went silent. 

  
  
  


As soon as he woke up from his blaring alarm clock, Kyungsoo felt something wet drizzle down the side of his face. When he felt it coming from his own eyes, he realized he was  _ crying _ . 

 

“Ah, why am I like this again?” he asked aloud, sitting up and wiping his tears away. 

 

Kyungsoo tried to rack his head for the dream he couldn’t remember, just like how he usually started off most of his mornings. This wasn’t the first time something like this has happened — where he woke up crying from a dream he couldn’t recall — but he still couldn’t figure out why it was happening to him. 

 

_ It felt as if he was waiting for something… but he couldn’t figure out what he was waiting for…  _

 

The loud noise from his alarm clock wasn’t making it any better for him and his mind was still too muddled to think, so he groaned and lazily shut it off. He shook his head and got out of bed to get ready for the day. 

 

Once out the door, he was ready to settle back into routine. The walk to his work wasn’t too long, he always managed to fit in a stop to the coffee shop before getting down to business. Getting some caffeine into his system always made him more awake and alive and the drink made his raspy morning voice go away — his job required so much talking and he didn’t want thousands of people hearing that. 

 

Radio announcer Do Kyungsoo — beautiful voice of smooth honey and melted chocolate. Thousands of people tune in every morning just to hear him speak.

 

A bell chime rang as he walked through the door. No one else was in the coffee shop because it had just opened, except for a tall young man at the counter. His back was facing towards Kyungsoo, probably setting up the ingredients and machines for the day.

 

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure why, but he had the sudden urge to see this person’s face. The tan arms showing from the back and his tall, slim figure made Kyungsoo feel as if he’s seen this person before. His heart was pounding loudly as he slowly approached the counter and tried to get a look at the man’s face. 

 

He cleared his throat.

 

The young man turned in surprise and then greeted him with a smile, but Kyungsoo couldn’t find it in himself to smile back. Seeing the guy’s face, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed as if what he saw didn’t meet his expectations. 

 

He glanced at the man’s name tag and saw ‘Lee Taemin’ on it. 

 

Kyungsoo was able to get his coffee without any trouble, but walking out of the shop, he felt more empty than before. What exactly was he expecting? 

 

He ignored the feeling and continued walking to his work before he could be late. The streets were starting to crowd with people also making their daily rounds, but through it all, he managed to catch sight of a man around the same height as him, handing out flyers. 

 

Kyungsoo felt a sense of dread flooding his system. He wanted to walk back from where he came from and go straight home, curl under his blankets and sleep forever. He just wanted to never pass by that man, but his workplace was right there. 

 

He decided to ignore what he was feeling, thinking it was all uncalled for, unreasonable, and stupid. He was hoping that there would be too many people passing by that guy that he’d miss handing him a flyer. 

 

But fate doesn’t work that way and a flyer made its way into his hands. 

 

**KIM JONGIN**

 

Height: 183 cm

Weight: 63 kg

Age: 22 years old

Last seen: Tuesday, Namdaemun area

 

Kyungsoo felt fresh tears trek their way down his face, and he covered his mouth in disbelief as he continued to stare at the picture on the flyer. The emptiness he felt in his heart wasn’t there anymore; instead, it felt like everything was ripped out, leaving it to cry in agony and slowly die.

 

“Have you seen this guy?” Kyungsoo could hear the guy ask, as people continued to pass by him and his flyers. “Have you seen my friend?” 

 

Kyungsoo felt like something was stuck in his throat. He wanted to gag and throw up, and he didn’t know why he felt so sick to his stomach. Even though he had so many radio announcements scheduled for that day, he couldn’t help but feel like not wanting to talk anymore. 

**Author's Note:**

> yes hi i know this was really bad, super rushed and unbeta'ed, im sorry, but just wanna thank the Golden Mods for running this fest, especially Mod Sugar for letting me attempt to scam her;;; just wanna make it clear that Kyungsoo has elective mutism; anyways rip i'll probably try to come back and fix it up so that its better but that wont be for a long time ahhhh im sorry


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